SMOKE SIGNALS (United States)
A review by Mark R. Leeper in bullet-list form
from the Toronto Internation Film Festival
CAPSULE: An odyssey of two Indians in their early 20s going to pick up the pickup truck of one's deceased father. This is a film with good characters that makes some profound points. The dialog is very good. Rating: 9 (0 to 10), +3 (-4 to +4 scale)
- Coeur d'Alene Indians of Idaho. - Victor Joseph is slightly stereotypical, a tall handsome Indian, but bitter about his alcoholic father not being around. - Thomas Builds-a-Fire is an original. He is a sort of nerdy boy with braids and glasses. Rather than playing basketball like his friend Victor he watches. He tells stories, many of which are lies. Victor looks down on him and derides him. Yet where Victor is empty he is full. His stories are what will sustain his people. They are something that is lasting. - The conversations are worth hearing. (But they are totally wrong about John Wayne's teeth. The claim that you never see John Wayne's teeth in a film is totally misinformation.) - In 1976 Victor's father Arnold saved Thomas's life when a fire burned down his parents' house. - Victor's father was an alcoholic. He left home a few years ago to live near Phoenix. Took up with Suzy Song. - As with CHAMBERMAID ON THE TITANIC, a good lie from Thomas seems to do more to heal and to build people up than a harsh truth. - Local reservation traffic report is more a gossip column. But there is no traffic anyway. - Lots of nice little surprises understated. Many are humorous. - Only images of bad Indians on TV. - Suzy Song is everything Victor is not. She embraces life and is not bitter. - Tom Skerritt has a small role as a threatening policeman. - Based on LONE RANGER AND TONTO HAVE A FISTFIGHT IN HEAVEN, a short story collection. This was one of the stories. - Really about all fathers and sons.
Mark R. Leeper
mleeper@lucent.com
Copyright 1998 Mark R. Leeper
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